THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Some gamers don’t care about the aesthetics of a game. As long as the gameplay is fun and/or clever, that’s enough for them; the rest is just window dressing.
For others, however, how a game looks matters as well as how it plays. Kanagawa will strongly appeal to members of that latter group, but it’s solid enough to attract the former as well.
The great artist Hokusai, most famously known for his painting of The Great Wave off Kanagawa, has decided to open a painting school in 19th century Japan.
You and your fellow players are all disciples of Hokusai, hoping to learn from the master and create the most beautiful piece of artwork in the class. Right from this charming setup, everything about Kanagawa is rooted in this artistic pursuit; and, as themes go, it works well.
Every turn, a series of cards will be put out, although some will be placed face-down. Starting with the first player, each player must then decide whether they’d like to take more lessons - thereby having the chance to get more cards - or begin practicing straightaway, in which case they immediately take all the cards in a given column and immediately add them to their tableau.
This happens a maximum of three times, after which any remaining students must put their lessons into practice, and thus ends a round.
When taking any of Kanagawa’s beautifully-illustrated cards, you have a choice - do you wish to paint it (that is, add it to the painting you are slowly creating over the course of the game) or do you wish to add it to your studio (and thereby increase your artistic know-how and the techniques available to you)?
In order to add a card to their painting, players must be able to satisfy its requirements; whereas adding a card to your studio costs nothing. This continues until one player has added a certain number of cards to their painting or the deck runs out - tally up the points and you’ll have a winner.
As simple and straightforward a game as Kanagawa undoubtedly is, it is absolutely full of interesting - and difficult - decisions. That card would be perfect for you - should you choose to practice early just to ensure that you get it?
However, if you do that, you’re giving up the opportunity to get more cards, as well as giving your opponents more freedom. That delicious push-pull of choosing your moment is hugely engrossing in itself, but then you come to the decision of which cards to paint and which cards to use to increase your ability to paint. It’s wonderful, and now, finally, it’s time to talk about the components.
You’d expect that Kanagawa’s cards would be pretty - it is a game about art, after all. However, the board that you lay the cards out on didn’t need to be made of bamboo (or something like it, at least). Your ability markers didn’t need to be lovely little pots of paint.
The diplomas you’ll be competing over didn’t need to be these solid chunky tiles, and the first player markers didn’t need to be as large and satisfyingly tactile as they are. In every way, Kanagawa goes above and beyond in its pursuit of aesthetic excellence. Happily for everyone, though, this is a case of style and substance.
(Arjun is a gamer, book lover and an all-round renaissance man)